Merge my work PC into my MacBook via Boot Camp?

[nick4597]

Alright.... so instead of lugging two PCs around I want to set up Windows on my MacBook. I have a work-issued Dell laptop running XP Pro. Work-installed apps are Lotus, POD (internal messaging), security software, etc.

Is it feasible to ghost image exactly what I have on my Dell laptop into a Windows Boot camp partition? Or, and I'm thinking this is what I'll have to do, go out and buy XP Pro, Office, load it onto my MacBook and try to convince my IT dept to load all of our proprietary programs.

Anyone with experience/luck using their Mac for work + personal use when a PC has been forced upon them?

My Dell laptop is a 1yr old Core 2 Duo, speedy PC, surely they would love to send it back off lease and let me use my own.... right?

 

[mcavjame]

Anyone with experience/luck using their Mac for work + personal use when a PC has been forced upon them?

Yes, but I have administrative rights to install software we have licenses for. I installed XP from scratch with the boot camp utility and installed all my PC apps after installing XP. I had to fork over the cost of XP for the PC side, but it was worth it to me to do all my other work on the Mac side.

I very rarely use the XP apps anymore as I have found many work-arounds and conversion utilities.

 

[steveza]

Ghosting isn't going to work and unless there are other Mac users in your company or you have a very open minded IT director/department, you will have little joy with getting them to install anything for you. Most Windows folk get very nervous when people want to plug anything fruit related into their networks.

 

[MacDawg]

Ghosting isn't going to work and unless there are other Mac users in your company or you have a very open minded IT director/department, you will have little joy with getting them to install anything for you. Most Windows folk get very nervous when people want to plug anything fruit related into their networks.

Sad, but very true

Woof, Woof - Dawg

 

[Consultant]

Nope, windows install are designed to be very difficult to multi-boot even on computer with same hardware, due to drivers / registry / Windows authentication scheme.

You can try Winclone. Probably won't hurt (and won't work in this case) but you should back up data first.